This invention relates generally to managing bandwidth in a network supporting variable bit rate.
A rapid and global acceptance of the Internet as a preferred communications medium has contributed to the proliferation of Wireless Local Access Networks (WLANs). WLANs are capable of providing users with a powerful and easy-to-use method of accessing the Internet, where one form of Internet traffic may be voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), for example.
A WLAN is a flexible data communication system that can either replace or extend a wired LAN to provide added functionality. Using Radio Frequency (RF) technology, WLANs may transmit and receive data over the air, through walls, ceilings and even cement structures, without wired cabling. In one WLAN configuration, a wireless client may interface with an Access Point to access a wired local area network, for example.
When transmitting video, voice, and/or other high priority traffic over WLANs, bandwidth agreements are typically established between an Access Point (AP) and the wireless client. Bandwidth agreements generally provide a certain Quality of Service (QoS) that is typically required for constant bit rate applications, such as applications that transmit voice, audio, video, and/or other high priority traffic.
An AP of a WLAN may be capable of supporting multiple wireless clients substantially simultaneously by sharing the available bandwidth among the multiple wireless clients. WLANs may sometimes support dynamic bit rate connections such that, in response to certain rate change events, the bit rate between two communicating devices may be adjusted. An example of a bit rate change event may be an increased distance between the two communicating devices.
Typically, bandwidth agreements in WLANs that support dynamic bit rate connections are negotiated based on an assumed bit rate. If, however, the bit rate changes from the assumed bit rate, the existing bandwidth agreement may no longer be valid, thereby possibly interrupting the transfer of data. This interruption in data transfer may be problematic for applications that, for example, transmit voice, audio, video, and/or other high priority traffic.
Thus, there is a need to efficiently manage bandwidth in a network supporting variable bit rate.